Maggie Devitt holds an intense position during a yoga class at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center in Philadelphia. / David M. Warren/Philadelphia Inquirer

Written by

Lini S. Kadaba

McClatchy Newspapers

The hard-muscled men of Haverford College's lacrosse team were primed for a fierce preseason workout.

So they did a Happy Baby, lying on their backs, grabbing the soles of their feet and rocking back and forth with glee.

For an hour, the 30 players from the Haverford, Pa., college, stretched into Downward Facing Dog, Tree, Frog and a dozen other yoga positions. Not exactly push-ups or wind sprints.

"It's a little shot at the masculinity," joked Joel Censer, 22, a defenseman with tight hamstrings who struggled with a contortion or two. "But, nah, it's great."

Long a fixture in spas and health clubs, yoga is winning over campus jocks. A growing number of college teams have rolled out the yoga mats to augment training regimens and improve flexibility, strength and mental grit, coaches and instructors say.

Haverford took up the ancient Eastern discipline in 2006 and other teams that have adopted it include football at Villanova and Princeton, women's soccer at Penn, women's crew at St. Joe's, and, since the fall, men's soccer at Swarthmore.

Training with yoga appears to have little downside other than, perhaps, the time it can take away from traditional workouts. Researchers also point out that the most-touted benefit - better performance - has not undergone rigorous scientific study.

That hasn't slowed the flow of followers. While no one tracks the number of college teams that supplement training with stretches, deep breaths and meditation, a new Yoga Journal survey indicates nearly 16 million Americans pursue the discipline - 8 percent of them in the prime college-age range of 18 to 24.

Yoga has had U.S. adherents since 1893 when Swami Vivekananda introduced the hatha form in Chicago, which stresses physical aspects. Some pro teams, including the Eagles, have used the poses in workouts. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been a fan since the '70s. Shaquille O'Neal, Kyle Korver, the Williams sisters and other sports stars also train with yoga.

College and high school teams have adopted the exercises more recently.

In many cases, the activity is stripped of its traditional Hindu flavor. Some instructors avoid Sanskrit names for poses in favor of English or no names at all and add movements from other exercise forms.

"If I started to use yoga-speak, they'd shut me out," said Cara Bradley, owner of Verge Power Yoga in Wayne, Pa., who began training the women's soccer team at the University of Pennsylvania last month. "We don't 'om' or anything." She even gave the class a more sports-appealing name: Balanced Athlete.

At Haverford, instructor Claire Brandon, 22, who is majoring in art history and Romance languages at Bryn Mawr College, interjects the occasional chaturanga (a push-up). But instead of the typical New Age music, she uses rock and reggae. The yoga appeals to enough players - who organize the weekly sessions themselves - that they come on Sunday (the only day off from practice) and pay the cost out of pocket.

"It makes us a little more in tune with our bodies," said attackman Mike Distler, 21. "It definitely stretches us out more than we ever would during the week."

On this day, the men squatted (Frog) and then moved to the aptly named Happy Baby before finally meditating for a spell.

"I'm all yogified," goalie Jake Mendlinger, 22, said with a grin as he grabbed his stick. "I'm ready to play."

"We bring stability to the entire body," said Adam Marcus, co-founder of Enso Studio in Media, Pa. "It's not just about having strong quadriceps."

Over eight sessions at a cost of $1,600, Marcus trained the Swarthmore College men's soccer team in Budokon, a new form that fuses yoga, martial arts and Zen meditation. "You get that full-body training," Marcus said.

Elite athletes marvel at the challenge. Some of the women began shaking as they tried to hold positions. "It humbles them from the first pose," Bradley said. "I rock their world a little bit."